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How to Earn Extra Cash – Enlarge Photo’s Service

tools for photo editing serviceHow to Earn Extra Cash – Edit Photo’s Service

A corner of your apartment or even a converted closet, can be a suitable work space, to begin your own niche business, offering ‘photo editing services‘, specifically, enlarging photographs, and earn some cash. How do I start?

How to Start a Photo Editing Service

The technique described here is to provide yourself with operating a basic service and pricing will be up to you. Just remember to not view customers as cash cows. Your little business service, if done well, will grow over time, as will your income. Treat your customers well and they will return but most importantly, they will send their friends and family. Word-of-mouth advertising, is beyond priceless.

A little of your own investment for equipment will be needed, as follows:

  • Computer
  • Scanner
  • Paint.net (Free online photo editor to download)
  • Printer + ink cartridges
  • Photo paper (optional)
  • Flash drives (optional)

Steps to Edit Photos

Let’s begin, here are the steps :

1. Take your photo that needs enlarging.
2. Place into scanner, usually face down, set or save, as a PDF. Some scanners will auto-open while others may require to save the file. Remember the NAME of the file!

amom90sa

Should look like this when opened with Adobe Reader. Good job! (Is that me? Yes, back when I was young and sporting that metal, rock and alternative rock gal, image). Be ready to have a couple windows, and programs, open.

3. Open your Paint.net program, or other photo editing program, and have it ready.
4. Once your PDF photo is open, tap your PrtSc or Print Screen key. This will capture an image of your PDF photo.

agetpicbttn

5. Go to your Paint.net program and under Edit, scroll to Paste. Your image should now appear. Again, you may want to SAVE this new file. Close your Adobe Reader program. Your Paint file should look like this image, with the dotted lines.

aenlrgpic5

6. Move your cursor to the bottom right dot. A little hand should pop open. Click on that corner dot, and HOLD your mouse and DRAG the corner, to enlarge your photo. Do your best to keep it’s original shape. ( Yes, that’s a different photo I captured).

7. Once you have it to your desired size, click on IMAGE  (3rd button from File at top bar) then scroll to ‘Crop to Selection’, and click. SAVE your new enlarged photograph. Again, remember the NAME of your new file. Unfortunately, your photo size is limited to what you can see in Paint.net program. My photo’s are about 4”x3” but you can paste into a word processor program, enlarge again and print on photo paper or save to a USB flash drive.

8. The size of your new file can be found under Image, scroll to Resize. A box pops open and right at the top will tell you the size. (My own enlarged photo is 1.8Mb).

9. All you have to do now, is transfer the NEW enlarged photo to the Flash drive for your customer. They can either purchase a Flash drive from you (meaning you will need a few on hand) and those will also bring in extra cash! or the customer can bring their own. All other image and pdf files can be stored in separate customer file.

10. You can use your Printer and photo paper to offer customers a print-out of their new larger photo, one or more copies, again, for extra cash, price fairly. Ensure you adjust your Printer for Photo’s since you can print one or more. Do your best to not waste your Photo paper.

11. Another method of delivery to your customers is by email. Attach their new photo to the email and send.

Photo Appearances Vary & Other Services

A few notes to think about in providing this service. Some digital photo’s appear to blur as they are enlarged whereas a photo from 35mm cameras (yes, those old photo’s stored in photo albums) can keep it’s appearance along with any ‘age spots’ but they do remain clear.

Other services you can provide with your new found business, is offer people services to ‘digitize‘ their photographs or important documents. Again, save it on a flash drive or send by email to a cloud service (Dropbox, One Drive, Google Drive, etc.), where customers can download them. This is a service so be sure you charge a fee.

Marketing your Photo Editing Services

Marketing can be simple such as posters, stating your business name and services with contact information on tear away strips, such as this image.(Psst!  Do your best to have yours looking spiffier than my example).

acornrsmplpstrPlace these posters in high traffic areas where people will NOTICE them. Apartment buildings, free boards, laundromat, food store, etc. Other promotional methods include :

  • Tell your friends and family to pass the word along.
  • Business cards, hand them out to store owners, restaurants, etc.
  • Network at community events with elders, parents, pet owners. Give them your business card.
  • Use a T-shirt iron on transfer with your business name on it. Print your business name services and contact information on transfer paper, iron on t-shirts.
  • Check your newspaper, to post a free ‘Announcement‘ about your business.
  • List your business online in business directories.

Business Reputation Management

Operate your business with utmost security of confidential information about your customers. Respect and friendly service will help build word-of-mouth advertising and repeat customers. You can go online and learn about the special effects the Paint.net program offers, and add these skills to your services, and then graduate to the professional programs such as Adobe Photo Shop suite.

Learn about as many photo editing programs as possible and how to use them. Some are free and others will require outright purchasing. An article by FroKnowsPhoto writes that the Adobe Photo suites is offered as a ‘subscription‘ only with prices ranging from $20 – $50 per month.

Learning in Action

Extra Reading

Money Home Blog  

Digital Photography School

Canada Business Network – Online Marketing Info

Small Business + Start-Ups Forum  

The end of the day, this little niche business service may not be totally glamorous but does offer the opportunity for a little ‘extra income’,  work at home and consider yourself an Entrepreneur.

Learning from this little service business may help towards launching, adding more services, or entering, a larger business. Nothing wrong with dreaming about the infinite possibilities available.  What’s your dream?

AIC|An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles on business skills, development, health, science, technology and society and enjoys advocating for independence, security and a better world for all of us.

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How would you like your Bill served?

bills in the mail box

A business owner and customer sit down together for a meal and moan about paying their bills, each from their own perspective. They agree about the joys of receiving their monthly bills whether by snail mail, or email, if you’ve gone the paperless route. By the end of the moment they wonder, ‘how would you like your Bill served’?

So many bills! Telephone, mobile phone, vehicle, satellite dish, internet, mortgage, insurance, etc., and the list goes on! Well, for those who can afford these ‘privileges’, will see these bills every month. What if a change occurred in delivery of our bills?

Business Plans and Tools

A business development and management course I had taken taught putting together a business plan. One of the steps requires annual cash flow projections showing a slight increase, of prices each year and keeping up with potential of rising inflation and/or our competitors. This helps to see, and/or, realize the potential success, of the business project at hand aka the financial forecasting exercise.

Research is done by marketing firms and businesses to check out ‘trends‘ and/or discover new customer insights. These reports are tools that help businesses adjust and improve their own marketing efforts, to their existing, and/or, for new customers yet still make a profit, to continue operations of their business. It is a great practice and tool, for all business owners.

Customers Collective Buying Power

Now, at the other end, we have our customers. As a customer myself of different services, I have come to realize that many businesses earn over the top profits, with the amounts of monies paid each month.

Our governments have control over infrastructure and delivery of some of these services, such as Hydro and we know that our electricity bills, are skyrocketing, least in Canada. This adds a financial burden to many struggling to stay afloat of homelessness, unemployment, etc., since wages aren’t keeping up. What is up with that? Oh! Got to love this quote.

J.O.B.
Just Over Broke

A business needs customers to operate. The monies from every customer especially when gathered together, and drawing upon a customers ‘collective‘ buying power, add up. We are the ‘target market‘. Prices continue rising and we continue paying even though we’re at the edge of broke. I must add another quote that’s awesome, bear with me please. 🙂

I’m not Greedy if I ask for only $1 from the whole population

Examining that quote about not being greedy, can you imagine how much money can be gathered, from the whole population? For Canada, there’s near 34 MILLION people. Now, reassemble that number with the amount of one of your bills but lesser number of people, say, 12,500.  Take the amount of your bill and multiply that with that number –> 12,500 x $XXX =

Simplified Home Finance Management                                                                 learning to keep records of your bills

Business planning requires answering the question about ‘market share‘ meaning, how many customers needed, to make a profit? Do you see the amount of monies a business can collect from their ‘target market‘?

Oh! the Businesses will cry Foul!

Can you hear the business owner protesting? Alright, yes, the business owner has bills and financial responsibilities of his own. S/he will have to pay off equipment costs, business loan debts, staff, business licenses, rent, memberships, equipment maintenance and/or replacement, insurance of one kind or other, etc., and it adds up.

One beauty about business plans, is they can pinpoint, to almost the nearest dollar, what exactly a business will be required to spend aka ‘expenditures‘. They can’t foresee all future obstacles, that may cause disruptions, of their services and/or products but it’s recommended, to be prepared.

Fair, Unfair and Outright Greed

The prices of many of our gadgets, utilities, services and needs will vary. As customers, we constantly seek out the lower price, to free up and further our own spending power. Some people say the government enrich themselves, off the backs of the People.

We see and hear about our government high salaries are paid with the Public tax monies, using Public tax monies to pay for ‘government business needs‘ (airplanes, chauffeurs, hotels, meals,rent) always wanting more, raising taxes, creating claw backs … Greed just seems to runs rampant in government office these days, yeah?

Customers don’t just stop at governments either. They will look at business owners and discuss the outrageous price hikes of various products and conclude, greed is the driving factor. The struggle to keep food on the table, heat, water, daycare, telephone, satellite dish, internet, the costs keep rising. Do business owners genuinely appreciate their customers these days?

Changing the Billing Model

The many businesses that exist, looking to improve their operations and/or, to attract more customers, can just look at their own ‘personal emotions‘ about having to  pay bills, to find an opportunity, to change their marketing efforts. We can create our own ‘mover and shaker‘ experiences for customers.

A few simple ‘incentives‘ a business owner could offer customers and build ‘popularity‘ could be, the following

  • offer a one year FREE service for sending in referrals (but no conditions, such as must be new paying customer, that’s asking for unrealistic guarantee )
  • offer one month HALF price or FREE month (i.e., Christmas month)
  • offer a ‘once-a-month deduct your bill‘ customer day
  • offer once a year billing

The point is to realize, customers are struggling to make ends meet too. Rather than viewing them as a ‘money tree‘ and ripe, for harvesting them for every dollar. Take a step back and see, how can a business make their life easier, and, grow loyal customers?

Learning in Action

Extra Reading

Giving Incentives for Referrals 

13 Tips: Getting the Most out Attending a Trade Show or Trade Event

10 Online Customer Attraction Techniques You Should Zone in on in 2015

I hope you found this article informative and gained some new insight. Please feel free to share with others! Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form to make a request on a topic of your own interest. I hope you visit again for more informative articles coming soon.

 AIC| An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles on business skills and development, health, science, technology and society, and enjoys advocating for social justice, security, and, a better world for all of us.

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11 Facts about In Vitro Fertilisation

facts about in vitro fertisation

Infertility affects couples around the globe with the inability to produce their own genetic offspring.

Conception will depend on the health status, and production of healthy sperm by the Man, and healthy eggs by the Woman. Both sperm and egg must be able to meet, and ‘implantation‘ of a fertilized egg must be able to take place in the womb.

Natural abilities are sometimes amiss for couples. This inability to attain a pregnancy will cause great anxiety, anger, grief and helplessness. Luckily, health science and research have been developed to help couples with medically assisted reproduction.

Causes of Infertility

Factors that can affect conception to occur for males can be, low/no sperm, malformed sperm, short life sperm, spermatic tube blockage, undeveloped or damaged testes, from STD and/or trauma, or genetic disease.

Mutual immunological incompatibility (blood serum) may be suspect, exposure to pollutants is also another consideration, age, trauma, infections, medications, disease, reproductive organ malformations, high temperatures of male scrotal sac.

Women may face anovulation (failure to ovulate) due to stress, hormonal imbalance, tumor, cyst, ovary disorder, obstructed fallopian tubes, pelvic endometriosis, poor embryo implantation. It’s estimated that 40% of couples are affected with infertility cases.

conception meets
conception meets

Facts about In Vitro Fertilisation Treatment

The use of ‘in vitro fertilisation‘ techniques are one of the treatments offered to help. A few facts about this treatment are:

  1. Dr Edwards, Embryologist, develops human culture media for embryo fertilisation aka the ‘petri dish’ and partners with Dr. Steptoe, Gynecologist, who develops the method of using laparoscopy to implant embryos.
  2. Hostility and criticism was endured by both pioneers, from their peers, government, religious sectors as saying that IVF was creating ‘Frankenbabies’.
  3. Lesley Brown volunteers to undergo the IVF technique and succeeds in conception, declared officially pregnant.
  4. The birth is attended by government officials to document the baby is truly Lesley Brown’s child.
  5. July 1978, England, is the first to announce successful birth of a ‘test tube baby’ with no defects or abnormalities.
  6. IVF treatment availability comes with strict regulations such as specific age, diet, number of embryo transfers and weight next to differing costs.
  7. Medical tourism provides couples to opt for lower cost and regulations, of IVF treatment, in developing nations vs developed nations.
  8. Research today, is exploring how embryos attach to the lining of the womb when implanted thus possibly answering why the IVF cycle can prove unsuccessful.
  9. A high incidence of miscarriages with IVF treatment are common. Studies have shown miscarriages occur due to Aneuploidy, abnormal numbers of chromosomes.
  10. Stem cell research has succeeded in creation of viable offspring in animals but no reports of live human births from artificial gametes has been recorded yet.
  11. Research has shown that approximately 50% of Western men have decreased sperm counts.
artificial insemination procedure

Diagnostics help find Causes

Investigating the underlying causes of infertility are performed for both partners. This may require sensitive and specialized tests to determine if infertility is due to one or both partners.

Most specialists will require both partners to participate in a infertility study. Treatment for infertility are approached specifically with the results from each partner. Basic tests start with physical exams, endoscopy exams, laparoscopy exams, history of traumas, and family history of disease.

infertility diagnostic tests
infertility diagnostic tests

Alternatives to Infertility

Medical studies are on-going, and research never sleeps. A news story reported how a woman had a womb transplant and successful birth, there are Surrogate mothers, artificial insemination, and adoption.

It’s important to keep an open mind after all even science cannot cure infertility. It is a condition that nobody expects and blame is not on any one person. A child of one’s own genes is desirable, and children, all children, are deserving of our love and care.

New methods and discoveries will be, and have been found. One must keep their faith strong whether successful or unsuccessful.

I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments or share with your Friends. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form and request a topic of your own interest for the next Post.

Learning in Action

Learning Resources

ABO Incompatibility in Newborns

Insurance Coverage for Infertility Treatment PDF

Miscarriage

ACI| An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles on business skills, development, health, science, technology and society and enjoys advocating for independence, security and a better world for all of us.

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